PEORIA — The Bradley Braves will unveil their new gargoyle mascot and announce its name on Feb. 22, before the men's basketball team plays its scheduled game against Loyola at Carver Arena.

Bradley athletics have been without a mascot since 1996, when the head was stolen from a short-lived bobcat character.

The gargoyle was chosen as part of a “re-branding initiative” that previously changed the university's athletics logo. The process began in August 2012 and included polls and focus groups of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and fans.

The new mascot will appear at pregame festivities Feb. 22 and be available for pictures with fans.

Bradley students attending the game will receive free T-shirts with the mascot's image, and the shirts will be offered for sale to the general public at BU's merchandise stand in the arena. Season-ticket holders will be able to purchase discounted Gargoyle T-shirts at the game.

New mascot gear will go on sale at the Bradley Bookstore beginning Feb. 23.

Bradley's mascot dating to at least the 1940s had been a student in Native American headdress. That was replaced in the late 1980s by a cartoon-style American Indian that was retired in 1989 after drawing criticism from activists who also pressured the school to get rid of the "Braves" nickname.

The nickname survived, but the university administration in 1993 announced that a bobcat would be the new mascot, because of the animal's ties to Native American culture in Illinois. The bobcat image was poorly received by fans, and the head was stolen from the mascot suit in February 1996 and never replaced.

The recent re-branding effort determined strong support for the idea that Bradley should have a sports mascot.

The gargoyle mascot has its own Facebook and Twitter pages, both activated Wednesday.